By Ted West
MTW contributing writer

Remember the good old days when a fully and forever contained Saddam led Iraq and we were on the brink of permanent Middle East peace before Bush stirred the hornet's nest?

If you don't remember that, this may be why.

As you know, there's now scientific consensus that liberals are a far bigger threat to American security than any Islamic terrorist organization. Liberals are so immature and self-absorbed (sorry to be redundant) that they are willing to sacrifice anything to get what they want – innocent Iraqis, American soldiers, even America itself.

And what they want is to bring down George Bush and for everyone to like us. Of course, if they succeed in destroying America, everyone will LOVE us, and as John Lennon sang, "The world will live as one…"

Presently, liberals wring their hands over the deaths of innocent Iraqis, but once we pull out, they don't care how many die. In fact, the more, the better.

That's because they will hang it on President Bush. Then, Iraqis won't be dying because we pulled out, they'll be dying because we went in.

But no matter how bad it gets, there will be an eventual outcome, and no matter how you picture it, it won't likely be favorable to America – or the world.

Colonel Ralph Peters (ret) writes today…

Even as our troops make serious progress against al-Qaeda-in-Iraq and other extremists, Congress – including Republican members – is sending the terrorists a message: "Don't lose heart, we'll save you!

And a commentary in National Review begins by asking, "The terrorists are in this war to win it. Are we?"

We hadn't been acting like we are until recently…

The Bush administration has made so many mistakes I stopped counting a year ago. But we've finally got a general in Baghdad – Dave Petraeus – who's doing things right. Iraqi politicians are still disgracing themselves, but our troops are killing America's enemies – with the help of our former enemies," Peters writes.

That's why I've been silent of late while other people are losing their heads. We still aren't waging war the way I would… or, I feel fairly certain, the way Col. Peters would, but we are finally waging it.

Peters:

Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq is suffering a humiliating defeat, as fellow Sunni Muslims turn against the fanatics and help them find the martyrdom they advertise. Yet for purely political reasons – next year's elections – cowards on Capitol Hill are spurning the courage of our troops on the ground. The frantic political gamesmanship in Congress would nauseate a ghoul. Pols desperate for any cover and concealment they can get have dragged the Iraq Study Group plan from the grave.

Ah, the Iraq Study Group, another fine moment for liberals. Its report became their new plan of action, no matter that the group was headed by James Baker who never met a Saudi he didn't like, and liberals never met one they did.

As Col Peters puts it:

… the report is a blueprint for a return to yesteryear's dictator-smooching policy (which helped create al Qaeda – thanks, Jimbo!).

But if Republicans are rushing to desert our troops and spit on the graves of heroes, the Democratic Party at least has been consistent – they've supported our enemies from the start, undercutting our troops and refusing to explain in detail what happens if we flee Iraq.

And that brings us back to the future dead Iraqis. Don't those clueless civilians know that they forfeited their right to life when they embraced the American led invasion?

But liberals claim they never did that. No matter, they still must die for the cause.

Peters again:

I have nothing against Shia militiamen and Sunni insurgents killing each other 24/7 (but) the overwhelming number of victims will be innocent women, children and the elderly. (and) Given that Senate Majority Misleader Harry Reid and Commissar of the House Nancy Pelosi won't tell us what they foresee after we quit, let me lay it out:

"- After suffering a strategic defeat, al-Qaeda-in-Iraq comes back from the dead… and gets to declare a strategic victory over the Great Satan. "

"- Iran establishes hegemony over Iraq's southern oil fields and menaces the other Persian Gulf producers. (Sorry, Comrade Gore, even that Toyota Prius needs some gasoline . . . )"

"- Our troops will have died in vain. Of course, that doesn't really matter to much of anyone in Washington, Democrat or Republican. So we'll just write off those young Americans stupid enough to join the military when they could've ducked out the way most members of Congress did."

"- A slaughter of the innocents – so many dead, the bodies will never be counted."

Can any reasonable person see it very differently?

To be fair, some liberals do recognize our moral responsibility to innocent Iraqis, the region, and the world, and that group consists primarily of Joe Lieberman.

We cannot neatly extricate ourselves from Iraq before the election, as so many on both sides desire and demand, and even if there were no other reasons, that alone would demand we fight this war more aggressively than before.

And we appear to be doing that.

And considering that the troops themselves are the real democracy here (does that need explaining?), and they are holding firm, that should be the biggest indicator that immediate withdrawal is not the proper course.

So I'll give Col. Peters the last word…

"This has been the Bush-Cheney War. But it will only be fair to call the carnage after we run away the 'Reid-Pelosi Massacres.'"